Climate change, environment to be focus of upcoming virtual panel hosted by Purdue
Emily DeLetter
WEST LAFAYETTE – The conversation around climate change and the environment is always ongoing, and a Purdue-hosted panel hopes to discuss the history and importance of local sustainability practices.
The virtual panel, “Hindsight 202One in West Lafayette- Sustainability Edition,” hosted by students in Purdue’s Ecological Sciences and Engineering program, is part of a larger symposium discussing local and global sustainability issues and practices. It will be held March 30 beginning with a question-and-answer format at 6 p.m. for panelists that will eventually lead to smaller breakout rooms for participants.
The event is free to attend and open to the public, although registration is required in advance.
Kayla Young, a graduate student in the Ecological Sciences and Engineering program at Purdue, said one of the reasons the local panel came about was after she became involved in the local environmental community.
“I think there are a lot of community members who are interested,” Young, who is also a member of the West Lafayette Go Greener Commission, said. “I’m hoping to have a broad audience of people, both in and outside of West Lafayette who are affected by what happens here, people who haven’t yet taken the time to think about sustainability, because it impacts their life most definitely.”
The panelists for the event are:
- Peter Bunder, West Lafayette City Council president
- John Dennis, West Lafayette mayor
- Michael Gulich, director of campus planning and sustainability at Purdue
- Lindsey Payne, chair of the West Lafayette Go Greener Commission
- Annabel Prokopy, student and local climate activist with West Lafayette Climate Strike
The event will be moderated by Iris O’Donnell Bellisario and Frannie Kelley.
Last week, Prokopy and other students from West Lafayette and around Indiana gathered at the Statehouse in Indianapolis to declare a climate emergency and press Gov. Eric Holcomb and state lawmakers to take action.
More:Students gather at Statehouse to ask Gov. Holcomb to take action on climate emergency
West Lafayette has also taken local action. In October 2019, Dennis and the West Lafayette City Council unanimously passed a non-binding resolution to reduce carbon emissions by 20% every four years.
Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski planned to begin working on the city’s own resolution for climate change in 2020, which aims to come up with feasible ways for local businesses, industries and members of the community to combat climate change.
“One of the first things I learned about was the (West Lafayette) climate resolution, and I was very happy to see that the community is thinking critically about how climate change will affect the community now and in the future and that they’re taking steps to address the problem,” Young said. “Being on the Go Greener Commission…it was just heartening to see.”
IF YOU GO: The “Hindsight 202One in West Lafayette- Sustainability Edition” virtual panel will be held March 30. The local panelist discussion will last from 6 to 7 p.m., and the interactive question-and-answer and breakout rooms will last from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Attendance is free and open to the community, but preregistration is required. To sign up, visit https://www.purdue.edu/gradschool/ese/symposium/2020/speakers/panelists2.php and click “RSVP to the Local Panel.”
Emily DeLetter is a news reporter for the Journal & Courier. Contact her at (765) 201-8515 or via email at edeletter@jconline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @EmilyDeLetter.